NetMeeting for CE?

With the discussions we've had lately about remote-control software, like NetMeeting and the announced abilities of Windows XP, one reader wondered why this (or something like it) wasn't available for Windows CE.

NetMeeting for CE would, indeed, be a boon to that beleaguered operating system. Anyone charged with managing an NT or Windows 2000 network would snap it up like a shot. No more jumping out of bed in the middle of the night to fix something (well, you might still have to get out of bed - but you wouldn't have to get dressed!). No more talking someone through an involved procedure on an almost-audible cellphone while you’re miles away from the office (or parked outside a tunnel).

Windows CE - no matter what Microsoft has tried - has been unable to supplant the Palm OS as the operating system of choice for handheld devices. But by combining remote-control software with the already available Book Reader software, you could read the manual for an application or device while you were connected to a remote site fixing that app or device.

Throw in a music player and a microphone (for phone calls), and you've got an all-purpose, "take me along with you" device. This device could allow you to get out of the office at least one day a week - maybe even head to the beach or the ski slopes - and still be ready to fix systems whenever you need to.

Do it, Microsoft - give us remote control on Windows CE. You'll sell tens of thousands just to network managers.

This story, "NetMeeting for CE? " was originally published by
Network World.